From the maps, the land looks like a private inholding that the Trust bought.
Yep-there was a hunk of private in there, surrounded by BLM, years ago (before the NCA designation) the owner wanted to put a road in, to do his mining claim-a short fight and it didn't happen. Most of the area is protected and I spent allot of years working in there, lots of great country, remember how high the grass got after we got the cows/sheep out! I always liked Yellow Rock Canyon/Conlon Camp area the best with all the wagon ruts and great views. Took years to deal with the horse problem at the springs though. Spent some good times in that line shack
don't know if it is still open to the public, should be though, BLM was working with a local group that adopted it-Since I retired, have not kept up with goings on over there. I wonder if they got Hanging Rock Canyon too, now there was a place and nice fishing creek on pvt land between all that public land-we also had a chance to pick that up in the late 1970's-but for some reason didn't
! The BLM/FS does allot of work with these various pvt lands groups-usually they can get a better deal on in holdings and such and then deed it over to the Gov't. It really takes along time to get these area protected, minerals and grazing interests usually take priority over other interests. Take High Rock for instance, even though the minerals part was signed off over 20 years ago, and most user groups were on board, it still took years to get the area made an NCA. Just before I retired, had a group in the area that was trying to buy out all the grazing leases adj. to the Smoke Creek Desert-great high country, so the Big Horn Sheep would be better protected-don't know what happened. But that's the way to go, give the ranchers a chance to sell off and still survive, and work with the BLM and the wildlife and other groups and we have places to go and see our public lands (as they heal)
Smoke!
